The present invention relates generally to automotive vehicles and more specifically to a movable roof system for an automotive vehicle.
It is common in the automotive industry to employ fabric covered convertible roofs and hard-top convertible roofs which are movable from a closed position above a passenger compartment to a retracted position within a bootwell or trunk. It is also known to provide movable tonneau covers to cover the stowed convertible roofs. For example, reference should be made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,764 entitled xe2x80x9cVehicle Body Construction for Hardtop Convertiblexe2x80x9d which issued to Kogawa et al. on Feb. 25, 1992, and German 38 16 060 entitled xe2x80x9cPassenger Car having a Two-Part Hardtopxe2x80x9d which was published on Nov. 16, 1989. However, most automotive vehicles must be parked and prevented from driving when the convertible roof is moved between the closed and stowed position. Otherwise, the wind created during driving would catch the inside of the convertible roof and tonneau cover when they are pivoted to near-vertical positions thereby potentially damaging the mechanisms. Therefore, many recent vehicles have either employed electric circuits that require the parking brake to be applied or the automatic transmission must be shifted to the park position, before the convertible roof actuators are energized.
It has also become desirable to maximize the open air or open roof space above the passenger compartment. The following U.S. patents disclose various conventional sunroof constructions: U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,177 entitled xe2x80x9cSunroof Assembly Drain Trough for an Automotive Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued to Caye et al. on Oct. 5, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,100 entitled xe2x80x9cSunroof Assembly for an Automotive Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued to Ewing et al. on Sep. 14, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,779 entitled xe2x80x9cPower Sliding Sunroofxe2x80x9d which issued to Mizuno et al. on Mar. 30, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,937 entitled xe2x80x9cRoof System for Vehiclexe2x80x9d which issued to Yamamoto on Jul. 9, 1991; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,783 entitled xe2x80x9cSlidable, Foldable, and Removable Vehicle Sunroofxe2x80x9d which issued to Chamings et al. on May 28, 1991. All of these patents are incorporated by reference herein. While many of these prior arrangements have significantly improved the art, however, the open air space can still be further increased while increasing passenger compartment headroom.
Another traditional automotive vehicle has employed a flexible fabric roof which can be closed by manually snapping or otherwise attaching the fabric roof to stationary roof rails and a front header. This fabric roof can also be manually rolled up to fully expose the passenger compartment between the roof rails. Notwithstanding, this conventional approach is time-consuming to close, unsightly, and cannot be easily retracted during vehicle driving and lacks adequate cold weather insulating properties.
In accordance with the present invention, a movable roof system for an automotive vehicle includes a roof panel which can be retracted to a stowed position below a storage compartment cover while the vehicle is being driven. In another aspect of the present invention, two or more generally rigid roof panels are movable from above a passenger compartment to below a plane defined by a closed rear deck lid. A further aspect of the present invention provides a back window which can be raised and lowered without necessitating retraction of a movable roof panel. Still another aspect of the present invention employs a pair of stationary side rails, and one or more generally rigid roof panels, and a generally rigid back window which are all movable from passenger compartment covering positions to a stowed position beneath a tonneau cover. In a further aspect of the present invention, a light is mounted to a movable tonneau cover. Another aspect of the present invention provides a dividing member to selectively segregate a convertible roof storage compartment from a trunk compartment. A back window-to-storage compartment cover sealing arrangement is also provided.
The movable roof system of the present invention is advantageous over conventional devices in that the present invention allows for easy retraction and closure of a convertible roof with a rigid tonneau cover while the vehicle is being driven. The movable roof panels are not prone to significant wind drag by their sliding movements within tracks and due to the relatively low drag angulation of the movable panels, especially as compared to the traditional verticality of prior convertible roofs when closed and opened. The sequence of movement of the present invention tonneau cover also is also not prone to significant wind resistance or drag, thereby allowing opening while the vehicle is being driven. The use of stationary side rails for the present invention also enhances vehicle structural integrity when the roof panels are stowed while also serving as a sturdy platform to mount elongated tracks and the corresponding roof panel driving mechanisms. The roof system of the present invention also advantageously allows independent venting and partial retracted opening of the front roof panel regardless of whether the back window and/or the rear roof panel are closed or stowed. The back window can also be opened without requiring concurrent movement of the front or rear roof panels. Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.